Bonnie Wright Works with Greenpeace in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution of British Rivers

Harry Potter fans know Bonnie Wright as the fierce and fiery Ginny Weasley. Now, the actress is taking on dark forces in the Muggle world, working with Greenpeace to call plastic pollution into question.

Last year setting sail off the coast of the United States aboard Arctic Sunrise, this year, Wright joined Greenpeace on a small boat on Britain’s River Wye, helping carry out the largest ever survey of plastic in the United Kingdom’s inland waters. Passionate about preserving the lives of the otters, freshwater fish, and birds that rely on clean, unpolluted rivers, Wright does all she can to reduce the amount of plastic waste in our waterways.

According to a study conducted by Manchester University scientists, over half a million microplastic particles per square meter were found in Manchester’s River Tame last year. Wright says that our river systems are warning us of the toxicity we are inflicting upon them. She reflected on the startling juxtaposition between her own childhood memories of natural waterways and the memories that are likely to stick with the new plastic-polluted generation.

When I went camping as a child in Cornwall and Wales I remember swimming in streams and rivers; we used to build little pools by creating dams with rocks. It saddens me to think future generations could be handed plastic[-]filled waterways if we don’t urge the government to take strong action to protect them.

Results from the UK river surveys Wright participated in are expected on June 19, but Wright says that there’s no time to waste and that the government must take action now.

To protect our rivers we need government to back an Environment Bill that massively reduces throwaway plastic and restores our natural world. […] I’ll keep doing what I can every day – but until government and big companies play their part we won’t see real change for our planet.

Fans who are eager to help Wright in her effort to involve the UK government in river protection can sign Greenpeace’s petition for an environmental bill that will aim to reduce single-use plastic and introduce a strong, independent watchdog to enforce targets.